


you are the dream that heals me everyday

by uwuxuxi



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Anal Sex, Canon Temporary Character Death, Chinese Mythology & Folklore, Foxes, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Mild Gore, Semi-Public Sex, Vore, i know this sounds like an adventure but work with me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:20:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28125258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uwuxuxi/pseuds/uwuxuxi
Summary: His head turns to the right and for the first time that he can remember, Yukhei sees the fox. He's a proud creature with his head held high as his golden eyes stare so deep into Yukhei's soul that he must know every secret, every thought, Yukhei has ever had in his life. But Yukhei hopes that above all of that, the fox can feel that Yukhei thinks that his beauty is unmatched by anyone he'd ever seen in the village.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas
Comments: 13
Kudos: 57





	you are the dream that heals me everyday

**Author's Note:**

> there is major character death and gore/vore in this fic but it is truly like five minutes long in canon and can be skipped! just stop reading at "Renjun kisses him again..." and continue at the next paragraph with "Yukhei was so strong when he was alive..."
> 
> okay so, this was a project for my ghost stories and fox tales in Chinese folklore class and uh. yes. i sure did write rpf fanfic without changing the names and no i do not regret anything. what's she gonna do? clock me? but this was such a joy to write and i hope you enjoy reading it as much as i enjoyed writing it!
> 
> title is taken from pansy by taemin

_where there is no fox spirit, no village can be established._

Yukhei has heard stories about the fox that gives their village life for as long as he can remember stories. He’s never seen him, of course, because foxes are notoriously hard to spot even if they aren’t _magical_ foxes who carry the wisdom of generations in their nine tails, but he’s stared into the forest long and hard ever since he was seven years old to try and catch a glimpse of him.

Yukhei knows he shouldn’t. 

His mother tells him when he is eight years old with his chin on her lap as she rocks his baby brother to sleep that their town’s fox spirit is named _Renjun_ for his golden-yellow fur that glimmers in the sunlight and while he is beautiful, he is equally deadly. Foxes should be loved and feared in equal measure, she says and pats Yukhei on the head before shooing him off so she can put Kunhang to bed for his nap.

Yukhei understands his mother's warnings even as he kneels before the shrine to Renjun in their shrine room, tucked away in the back of their home, and offers the fox mooncakes on new years in exchange for another year of health and happiness for his family. He’s twenty-one years old now and has still never seen Renjun _once_.

Apparently, no one in the village has since around the time Yukhei was born. Grandmother Li says that she remembers the very day Yukhei came into the world, down to the gory details that he always begs her to leave out, and she remembers a golden muzzle and golden eyes peering through the window as his mother cradled him to her chest. His soft cries had distressed the fox, she’d said, and he’d vanished before coming back with a small blossom held carefully between his teeth. She'd taken it to give to Yukhei and his cries silenced immediately, but the fox hadn't been seen nor heard from since.

It doesn't sit well in Yukhei's heart and he wants to find him.

Unsurprisingly, Yizhou thinks he's an idiot. Little sisters have a habit of thinking their older brothers are idiots, so Yukhei doesn't take it too personally, but he _would_ like some support in this endeavor. She personally tends to the sculpture of Renjun in the town square and has told him that cracks are starting to appear over its stone surface where none have ever been before. It doesn't feel right.

“They told you not to look for him," she says as she ties her hair up, legs folded beneath her on her lotus pillow. "Yukhei, Grandmother Li is _senile_." She regrets it the moment she says it, gasping and biting her lip, but she holds her ground on the sentiment. "The fox spirit might have moved onto another village! Would that be so bad?"

Perhaps not, Yukhei supposes, even if he doesn't like it. "That doesn't explain why the sculpture would _crack_ , _meimei_."

"We don't know magic, Yukhei."

"If he's moved villages, Yizhuo, his blessing could have moved with him, and where would be then?" He doesn't believe this to be true and he doesn't mean to snap at her, either. Yizhuo is the only one there to take his frustration and he kneels to help her with her hair to apologize. "I'm sorry, I just... I think something's _wrong._ I can't explain it, ZhuoZhuo, I just _feel_ it."

Yizhuo holds his gaze in the little mirror before her, large eyes soft as she considers her older brother thoughtfully. She's so much younger than him but there is a wisdom in her eyes that gives him hope. "Say Grandmother Li isn't..." She twists her finger around in a circle by her temple to demonstrate how crazy she thinks the village elder is and Yukhei fights a laugh. Their mother would hit them both for their disrespect, but Yizhuo might just have a point. "You know, and Renjun was there when you were born. Then _you_ might carry his blessing within you. And if that is the case, maybe you are feeling his distress?"

"Implying that he's under distress." They both jump when Kunhang comes into the room and settles down on a cushion nearby, his black hair windswept and cheeks flushed lightly. While he was clearly eavesdropping, he looks like he just came in from rough-housing with some of his friends. Yukhei misses those days. "There are more cracks, Sicheng and I saw them when we came back from the market."

Yukhei wrinkles his nose at that, his hands resting lightly on Yizhuo's shoulders. The cracks are worrying but no one outside of their family seems to care. They tend to their altar to Renjun regularly, changing the flowers and food offerings weekly to ensure that he knows that they appreciate all that he does for their village, but there is no telling if other families in the village are doing the same. Renjun's statue hasn't been adorned with fresh flowers in months.

They're killing him. Yukhei thinks that their neglect is killing him and Yukhei _knows_ that he might sound a little crazy but when he says it aloud to his siblings, it sounds _right_ . Weakening is a nicety. Renjun is _dying_.

"That...may be extreme?" Kunhang says, but the concern widening his eyes tells Yukhei that his brother doesn't think that he's too far off. "Or, at the very least, they're weakening him enough that his power is just...disappearing?"

Yizhuo turns to face her brothers, her _hanfu_ fisted tightly in her little hands as she holds her lower lip between her teeth. The little noise of distress that leaves her breaks Yukhei's heart. "If it disappears entirely, what will happen to the village?"

Yukhei doesn't have any answers for her and that makes his heart ache. She might find him stupid, but she holds the same concerns that Yukhei does. He won’t let anything happen to her, and if that means finding out what’s happening to their fox spirit then that is exactly what he’ll do. "I don't know, _meimei_ , but I'm going to find out."

* * *

Yukhei did not expect the Confucian scholars to advise him to head into the lush forests that surround their village to hunt down the fox that gives them all a safe home and life when he went to them for council, because his father has never truly believed Confucian scholars to be wise, but he also did not anticipate the lecture about the responsibilities he holds to his family.

He is the oldest son. He is responsible for carrying on his family's name and family line. He is responsible for the hunt, keeping food on their table, and keeping them safe should invaders come. These responsibilities are what give Kunhang the opportunity to run around and play with his friends at his age, which gives Yizhuo a respite from thinking too heavily about having to get married and leave their family home even as she reaches marrying age. As the eldest son, Yukhei should not even consider the forest and the spirits that live within it.

The forest, the scholar had said with hazy eyes, was foreign to men and foreign things could be intoxicating. If Yukhei left, who would protect his sister? Who would keep their family name? It is an insulting insinuation and Yukhei has to grit his teeth to avoid snapping at the man.

(Yukhei does not tell the scholar that Kunhang fancies Yuqi from down the road and their families have been discussing marriage since both of them were ten years old because the scholar will not receive such criticism for his rant.) 

If Yukhei managed to find the fox–and the way he says it with such _disdain_ makes Yukhei positively _sick_ because where would they be without Renjun and his blessing?–who is to say that he would want to come back to the village at all?

What would become of his family?

Yukhei leaves the scholar with a pit in his stomach and sits beneath Renjun's statue, eyes tracing over every crack and imperfection with a furrowed brow. He does not know how long this sculpture has stood in the center of their little village nor how many generations of his family played at the base and left flowers on the pedestal, but he gets the feeling that all of the damage that he is seeing now has taken place within his lifetime. When Yizhuo leans out of a window to call out to him and announce dinner, Yukhei takes the shortbreads his mother had packed him for a snack out of the pouch at his waist and leaves them on the pedestal.

As he heads inside, he catches a glimpse of sunshine yellow fur moving through the dark green brush. He knows that his gift isn't enough to save Renjun just yet, but he hopes, desperately, that it is enough to properly earn his trust. 

Renjun slips out of the forest when the sky is dark and snatches the cookies in his muzzle. He leaves a peony in Yizhuo’s window and smiles when she giggles and rushes to tell Yukhei, and _only_ Yukhei, that she’s gotten a gift from the fox. Yukhei looks pleased and when he peers out of the window to catch a glimpse, Renjun is already long gone.

* * *

"Your mind is elsewhere." His mother says several days after he sees the glimpse of fur amongst the trees. He's helping her bring in rice from the market and he's hit his elbow on the doorframe with a swear that, had it happened at any other time, would have gotten him hit over the head. "Penny for your thoughts?"

Yukhei sighs softly, his tongue poking against the inside of his teeth as he mulls over his thoughts and sets the sack of rice down. "Have you seen him, mama?"

She doesn't need to ask who he's talking about, she knows his desires and thoughts well by now. "Once, other than the day you were born. I have felt him poking around more than once, but he has always been fond of our family. One of our...several great-grandmothers was the one who named him, initially."

"When you saw him the second time... What was he like?"

"Beautiful. Terrifyingly beautiful. At first, I was afraid he was going to try and take you from me but he just ducked his head and brushed his nose against your head in greeting before slipping away as if he'd never been there." His mother smiles at him, her hand coming up to gently push his hair back to brush her thumb over a spot on his forehead. "You are _so_ drawn to him and him to you... It is worrying, in a way, because losing you is one of the worst things that can happen to me, but I believe that if you left that you would find a way to come back." The faith that his mother has in him makes Yukhei’s chest swell with pride. He knows he can do this, especially with her confidence in him. She might not want him to go, but she does know he will come back.

Yukhei smiles at her and leans his head down to let his mother press a soft kiss to his forehead. "I would, mama." He waits for a breath, letting her fawn over him for as long as she needs. "I think he's dying, mama, and I can't let that happen."

She smiles but he can see her eyes shining with tears. He can tell that this is what she's feared ever since Renjun took a liking to him the night he was born. "You might be the only one who can save him."

"May I?" His voice is only loud enough for her to hear and is shaking with fear he is not brave enough to name.

"You may. You _must_ come home, Yukhei, but I believe in you. Save him, my little lion.” It has been such a long time since Yukhei was little but he supposes, as his mother hugs him tight around his middle, head barely reaching the top of his chest, that things like that don’t matter to mothers.

* * *

Yukhei doesn't say goodbye to his father when he is ready to level several days later. He knows his father will try to stop him and use his guilt to keep Yukhei home. He is the eldest son. It is his duty to make a good match and carry on the family name. It is not his duty to hunt down a fox spirit and see what he can do to save him.

If he can save him at all.

Yizhuo and Kunhang, however, are hard not to say goodbye to. He wraps them up in his arms, holding them tightly to his chest and hoping that some of his strength can leak onto them. They don't cry but when he pulls away from Yizhuo, her large eyes are shining with tears. "Come home," she says quietly and Yukhei feels as if it should be a question but the firmness in her tone leaves no room for argument.

"I will." Yukhei presses a kiss to her forehead and pulls Kunhang into another hug. His brother tucks his face into his shoulder and clings tightly for a moment, a thin string of fear making him tremble in Yukhei's hold. There are so many reasons for his little brother to be afraid right now and Yukhei hopes desperately that none of them come true when he leaves them today. "Keep mama and Yizhuo safe," he whispers fiercely into Kunhang's ear and holds his head to his shoulder when his brother gives a firm nod. "And don't let baba bully you. My decisions are my own and the consequences are my own. Don't suffer for me."

Kunhang does not cry but Yukhei can feel him swallow thickly against his shoulder. "I won't. I'll protect them. But _you_ need to come home."

He will. He gives his siblings one more long hug and takes a long breath to release the tension pinching his shoulders. He doesn't know how long this journey will be nor what he will encounter but at least he has his siblings' faces in his mind to keep him strong along the way.

* * *

As he leaves the village, he sees the scholar and firmly turns away to avoid encountering him. Guilt is already heady in his stomach. He doesn't need to be called a bad son and brother by a man who hardly knows him.

There is a path into the forest lined with bright peony bushes and Yukhei follows it as a man possessed. He's not positive that he is _not_ a man possessed, truly, but he knows in his chest that this is the right way. Yukhei does not scare easily but there is something curled in the top of his throat that makes him pause halfway down the path.

His head turns to the right and for the first time that he can remember, Yukhei _sees_ the fox. He's a proud creature with his head held high as his golden eyes stare so deep into Yukhei's soul that he must know every secret, every thought, Yukhei has ever had in his life. But Yukhei hopes that above all of that, the fox can feel that Yukhei thinks that his beauty is unmatched by anyone he'd ever seen in the village.

The spirit smiles, nine fluffy tails giving a pleased flick before he takes a step back and gestures for Yukhei to veer off of the path and follow him. A part of him, the part of him that is still a scared little boy and not a man well over 180 centimeters, wants him to remain on the path and head back to the village, forgetting this endeavor and remaining the filial son that his father would want him to be. But this is a loyalty that Yukhei feels like he owes the fox–

_You may call me Renjun_ , a soft voice echoes through Yukhei's head, drawing a gasp from his lips and shocking him into taking a few steps forward until his thighs were flush against the peony bushes. _You have earned that right._

"Have I?" Yukhei whispers and makes his way across the pretty forest floor to Renjun's side. Up close, Yukhei can tell that his fur isn't quite gold, but instead a warm cream that reflects the light of the sun prettily. He wants to touch and while he might be worthy of using the fox's given name, Yukhei is not sure that he is worthy to pet him like some sort of domesticated beast. "I don't know if I have..."

_Your hesitance shows that you have_. And who is Yukhei to disagree with that? He follows the fox, _Renjun,_ he reminds himself, through the winding forest until they reach a small rocky cave. If Yukhei hunches down, he can fit through the same hole Renjun ducks through. It's a tight fit, but Renjun's soft fur tickles his ankles as the fox lays down before him. Up close like this, looking into his pretty eyes and watching his ears flick, Yukhei can only be struck dumb with awe.

And then the fur disappears, leaving in its wake a slight man with chestnut brown hair and petal-soft lips. His skin is as pale as rose milk and Yukhei feels as words die in his throat as the fox's bare shoulders are covered with a robe that must be made of his own fur. He looks as dainty as the peonies on the path he'd taken Yukhei from but there is a restrained strength hiding in his small form.

His mother told him that foxes were meant to be loved and feared in equal measure. Looking at Renjun like this, small and delicate but with lean muscle and the sharp eyes of a predator, he understands exactly what she means. But there is something else in his stature, something that betrays exhaustion and hidden weakness.

"Yukhei," Renjun says, voice as smooth as fresh honey, and Yukhei shakes himself out of his revelry to hold his gaze again. "Why have you found me?"

Why indeed? There are so many answers to that simple question that Yukhei finds himself floundering just a little. "I have always wanted to see you." It is a start but it is not the whole truth and Yukhei is sure that Renjun can tell with the slight quirk of his lip and brow. "And I have...worried?"

"Worried? About a fox? How odd for a human to care about my fate." There is something in his tone that betrays pain and Yukhei reaches his hand out to touch Renjun's delicate ankle. Renjun does not move away, so he moves his hand up to his knee, thumb rubbing a small circle on the skin there. "Have I made you worry, Yukhei?"

"You are weakening, I believe," he tacks on when he feels Renjun still under his hand. "And I want to do what I can to keep you from dying. If I can."

"If you can," Renjun repeats softly, his small hand resting lightly on Yukhei's as he considers him. "I know your family. I have known your family since this village was founded and they have never had a son as strong as you. You are well-loved, have girls vying for your attention and hand in marriage, why come here to find me?"

"Girls... Do not hold my interest." Yukhei says cautiously before realizing that he is speaking to a fox, and this fox does not hold the same disgust in his body that the men in Yukhei's village do.

That Yukhei's father does.

"Is that why you have run? To avoid marrying a pretty girl under the guise of helping me?" There is no judgment in Renjun's tone but the words sting all the same and he bites back a defense. It is not a real reason but it certainly factors into the grand scheme of Yukhei's escape to this forest to Renjun. "Or do you truly wish to help me?"

"You know my family." It is not a question but Renjun nods all the same. "And my ancestors gave you your name."

At this, Renjun softens, a fond smile curling on his lips as he remembers. "Her name was FeiFei and she held me with such care." Yukhei thinks that he can hold Renjun with similar care, gather him into his arms and protect him from whatever force is draining his power like a leaking basket. "What does that have to do with this?"

"You showed up the day I was born and again when I was just a little older than a babe. You _know_ that I am meant to help you, Renjun. My family and you are tied together."

"By fate, Yukhei?" Renjun asks and extends his leg so it rests in Yukhei's lap. Yukhei curls his hand around his thigh, thumb rubbing a small circle over the soft skin just above the inside of his knee.

"Perhaps. But I wish to help you. My responsibilities are what they are and _yes_ , I wish I could run from them and I wish that I could be a perfect son in equal measure, but those are not the reasons I am here. My family has a duty to you and I will not shirk that. You are dying, Renjun. Do not lie."

Renjun is quiet as he lets Yukhei touch him and lay his vulnerabilities bare in this little cave with barely any room to stretch. "How do you know?"

"I am tied to _you_. I can feel how weak you are. Let me aid you. I have a responsibility to you and I feel as if I've failed you."

"Yukhei, You have never failed me."

Yukhei holds his gaze and inhales sharply as the fox moves, gracefully sliding into his lap and pressing his small hands to Yukhei's chest. His right hand is warm, almost burning a brand onto Yukhei's heart. Renjun is so _small_ in Yukhei's arms and the frailty that he hides so well sitting across from him disappears when he is so close. "But you might fail me now."

The sentence shouldn't devastate him so firmly but it does anyway, his hands tightening on Renjun's waist before he lifts his head to hold his gaze. "Tell me what I have to do to help you and I will do it. No matter the cost."

Renjun's eyes are impossibly sad as he pets Yukhei's cheek, golden eyes fixed on where his other hand lays on Yukhei's chest. "You promised your siblings you would return to them. If you do this for me, I cannot promise that you will."

A life for a life, Yukhei realizes suddenly but does not find himself to be afraid. While he wants his family to be happy and protected and he wants to be with them, he cannot let Renjun and his magic die. There is no telling what can happen if he does; if his village would survive at all. "If I save you, you will keep them safe for me."

Renjun is quiet, head dipping down so when he whispers his breath dances over Yukhei's lips. "I swear to you that I will protect them from all threats." Yukhei braces to say something and Renjun's small claws dig into his chest. "Especially your father."

The pain eases as Yukhei lets out the breath he was holding. He presses his head to Renjun's and wraps his arms around him to keep him close. "Take what you need from me." He whispers and is not surprised when the fox's lips meet his own. They are as soft as they looked.

Before Renjun, Yukhei had never laid with another. He’d kissed other boys in the villages, held them close, and nipped at their lips in the heat of the moment but never felt anything like the heat of Renjun’s body against his own. It was addicting, the slick way their tongues move together paired with the heady rolls of Renjun’s hips against his own.

Foxes are sensual creatures by their nature, so maybe Yukhei should expect the extreme pleasure that bubbles through his system but when Renjun’s small hand curls around his cock, he can’t help the loud moan that leaves him. He’s desperate, he knows he is, but Renjun kisses down his throat and whispers how beautiful and strong he is, and Yukhei cannot bring himself to care. 

“Let me,” he gasps out, gripping Renjun’s shoulder after he’s stripped down and Renjun is licking long lines over his chest. He loses all breath when the fox curls his tongue around his nipple and sucks sweetly, golden eyes holding Yukhei’s gaze, but he tries to speak again. “Let me...please you…”

“You’re giving me life,” Renjun’s voice tickles Yukhei’s wet nipple and he arches up towards his mouth eagerly. “The very least I can do is worship you in return.”

Yukhei can only moan in response, lips parting in a desperate gasp as Renjun’s pretty mouth stretches around the girth of his cock and his thick lashes flutter in ecstasy. He doesn’t know what Renjun gets from this but he knows that he is in love with every little movement he makes, deft and dainty fingers working over what can’t fit in his mouth. He feels _worshipped._ He has felt adored before but this is wholly different, he thinks as Renjun pushes his thick thighs down to the bed of furs beneath him so he doesn’t fuck into his mouth as he swallows him the rest of the way down. 

He has no reference for Renjun’s skill but he doesn’t need any to feel the skill on his tongue as it wraps around his cock and his claws drag long lines down his trembling thighs. Yukhei is gasping softly, hips trembling beneath Renjun, when the fox pulls off and coos gently to soothe his desperate whine. “R-Renjun…”

“Don’t you want to take me, Yukhei?” Renjun whispers into the skin of his hip and it’s so close yet so far from where Yukhei wants his mouth. “Feel me clench and squeeze your cock..” The words are _filthy_ but Yukhei’s cock twitches eagerly all the same. “Fill me…”

“Yes, heavens, _yes_ please…” Yukhei begs and watches as Renjun produces a bottle of oil and unstoppers it with his teeth. The smell of lotus and jasmine fills the air and Yukhei inhales deeply before he’s distracted by Renjun slicking his fingers up and slipping them inside of himself, thighs spread wide so Yukhei can see every thrust of his fingers moving to open himself up for his cock. His fingers are _so_ tiny and Yukhei has enough of his mind to wonder if he’ll even fit inside. 

The look Renjun levels at him is devastating, lashes low and golden eyes ablaze with his passion and waning power. It’s hard to tell that he’s losing it like this, beautiful and in his element, and all Yukhei can do is slide his hands up his pretty thighs and lift up to steal kisses when the fox allows. He is warm and beautiful and if this is the last thing that Yukhei can experience before giving Renjun the life he deserves, then he is happy to partake. “You’re beautiful,” he breathes when Renjun licks over his lips and draws a surprised laugh from his lips. “What..?”

“I hear that so often but...you mean it,” Renjun gasps, and his fingers must have found a spot inside of him that made stars flash before his eyes because he positively trembles in Yukhei’s arms. His claws dig into Yukhei’s arms and all he can do is hold him through the pleasure and swallow his desperate sounds. 

“I mean it,” he whispers against his lips as Renjun lines himself up and takes a slow breath. “And if you remember anything about me, then remember that. You are beautiful.” Yukhei can’t tell if Renjun’s moan is from his words or the stretch of his cock as it enters him but he’s too gone to care. 

Renjun does most of the work, not that Yukhei doesn’t move along with him, his hand resting lightly on Renjun’s lower back as he moves their hips together. Yukhei feels worshipped as if he is a god and Renjun his loyal supplicant but he knows he is not the one in power here. He is a vehicle to a higher destination but as Renjun’s fingers curl into Yukhei’s dark hair and pulls, it feels like he can be more than that should he live long enough. 

He wishes he had the chance.

Yukhei tosses his head back in a low moan as Renjun’s hips give a tight twist before Yukhei spills inside him. The fox’s lips are on his throat, fangs grazing sweetly over the apple there and for a moment Yukhei thinks it can be over right then. And then Renjun gasps, claws raking down Yukhei’s arms as his release coats Yukhei’s belly and they fall together onto the furs. 

Yukhei knows as he lays on his back, chest rising and falling rapidly beneath Renjun's head, that the intimacy that has left their bodies slick with sweat is a goodbye but he is not afraid. Renjun is as much a member of his family as his siblings and he would do whatever it took for them to survive as well. "You haven't told me what you need," he whispers into his soft brown hair, fingers tracing light designs over the nape of Renjun's neck. "I will not take my offer back if you do."

Renjun doesn't look at him, his hand once again splayed on his chest as he breathes Yukhei in. "I need your heart," he says and while it's barely enough for Yukhei to hear, it does not dissuade him.

"You can't take something that is already yours," he says and kisses Renjun when his head snaps up in surprise. "Take it. Take your power back and protect them for me."

Renjun kisses him again, and when Yukhei's eyes close, he plunges his claws into his chest to claim his heart. It beats for him, pumping loud and strong with his life force, and Renjun sobs as he swallows it down.

Yukhei was so strong when he was alive, large and beautiful, and the greatest hunter in his village, and as Renjun swallows his vitality down he pulses with a power he has never known in his long life. He closes his eyes and looks up at the ceiling of his cave, lashes fluttering a little with his thick tears because he refuses to look at Yukhei's body.

And then he realizes that with this power, this beautiful boy beneath him doesn't have to end. He's still warm when Renjun leans down and cradles Yukhei's cheeks in his hands. Fat tears fall on his honeyed skin and Renjun presses their lips together and breathes.

Yukhei gave Renjun the greatest gift that he could and Renjun would be a fool not to return it. He breathes until the torn skin knits back together into a star-shaped scar and a faint pulse beats beneath his fingers. He breathes until Yukhei's skin burns beneath him and when the transformation starts, he cradles Yukhei's larger body to his own and holds him to his chest through his tremors.

When Yukhei's eyes open, he feels as if the world is on fire but he's in warm arms and a heartbeat he knows well is beating against his ear. He lifts his hand and gasps when he sees long black claws on the tips of his fingers. And then he sees Renjun, glowing with vitality, and knows that his sacrifice is as worth it as he believed it would be. "You saved me," he whispers, reaching up to hold Renjun's cheek in his hands.

"You made a promise and I'm going to help you keep it. You can't stay with them, but we can watch over them." Renjun presses a soft kiss to Yukhei's palm and even though Yukhei's heart doesn't beat wholly in his chest anymore, he feels it begin to race. Perhaps that's because Renjun is just as shy as Yukhei is.

Yukhei smiles bright and wide and for a moment, it feels as if the sun has left the sky and entered Renjun's cave directly. "Together?" he asks and Renjun nuzzles his cheek into his palm. This is more than Renjun expected, Yukhei's loyalty is unimaginable to him, but he is grateful nonetheless.

"If that is what you desire, then yes. Together. I owe you my life, after all." It is a deflection but not one that Yukhei is going to let him get away with.

"And I owe you mine. Where do we go from here?" He leans forward and hums appreciatively when Renjun's lips meet his own. This is more than a mutual sharing of life-saving energy, Renjun knew that the moment he first saw Yukhei on the path and felt his intention to save his life. He doesn't know where they'll go from here, all he knows is that they'll be going together.

* * *

The village of Weishen was founded on the back of one golden fox by the name of Renjun. For generations, he was seen on only the rarest of conditions, and only present for one birth in the entire history of the village. With the rise of the modern era, his power began to wane and his village stopped believing in him.

All except for one.

Suddenly, there were two foxes to be seen dancing amongst the village outskirts; one red, one gold and they paid particular attention to the family that tended to the sculpture of the fox that stood in the village center.

Many whisper about the origin of this second, larger fox. He is fierce but gentle, careful with young Yizhuo's son and the rest of the village children. He runs alongside their village's hunters and brings down game they would have no hope of catching. He is beautiful and so very _familiar_.

Kunhang smiles as he walks past girls whispering at the base of the sculpture, sharing their theories about who and what the fox may be in the great scheme of things. They don't quite as he passes them, for they don't know why they should, but one flushes and follows him as he heads to his family's home.

Yukhei and Renjun are inside, Renjun's lap very occupied with Yizhuo's son Chenle as he coos and chitters sweetly at the baby. They've been mated for years now and Kunhang is warmed to his very core to see his older brother so _happy._ Their father is nowhere to be found, as he often is when Yukhei and Renjun come to visit, but if anything it keeps the energy in the room loving and light. "They're whispering about you again," Kunhang says and laughs as he's swept up into his brother's arms for a hug.

"Anything good this time?" Renjun asks and snorts when Kunhang shakes his head. All of the rumors are always the same.

Yukhei, the eldest son of the Wong family, died in the forest five years ago. Their family did not have a body to bury and constructed a story about it being lost to the creatures of the forest. The village mourned, the Wongs mourned, and then Yukhei and Renjun came down from the mountain and brought the glory of the foxes back to Weishen.

Things are as they should, for no village should be established without a fox spirit and no village can survive without two.

**Author's Note:**

> if you wanna scream at me here are my [twitter](https://twitter.com/faeriedoyoung) and [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/faeriedoyoung) i PROBABLY deserve it if you made it all the way down here


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